A master illusionist. A virtuoso musician. A world-class athlete. A genius mathematician. A Fortune 500 executive. A Nobel Laureate. All experts in their chosen field. But what do they all have in common? TIME. Each of them has CHOSEN to dedicate thousands upon thousands of hours to practicing their craft. Yes, they may have been born with genetic predispositions or perhaps more opportunities than others, but they still had to put in the effort to become great. If you’ve ever read the book Outliers by Malcom Gladwell, you understand the principles of the 10,000-hour rule and how that contributes to the success of some of the most well-known men and women throughout modern history.
What does that have to do with you? You’re simply reading this blog because you want to lose a little weight and be able to carry all the grocery bags in one trip — and you definitely don’t want to spend 10,000 hours in the gym to get there! Don’t worry, you can breathe a sigh of relief, because you won’t have to. All you need to do is apply one main attribute to your fitness goals for the new year: CONSISTENCY. Although sometimes it can seem this way, those men and women I mentioned previously didn’t become successful overnight. They worked towards it day-by-day, hour-by-hour, even minute-by-minute.
Anyone at the top of their profession understands that you can’t achieve anything of significance without being consistent in your efforts. Fitness is no different. Among all the training variables — frequency, intensity, technique, number of reps, exercise selection, fashion choices (hey, it matters!) — consistency just might be the most important factor to accomplish long-term goals, whether it’s health, aesthetics, performance, or skill development. Unfortunately, it’s often the most underestimated also.
If you’re inconsistent with your nutrition, you’ll find it much harder to lose those 10 pounds (or keep them off!). If you don’t workout consistently, you may not be able to lift those weights, run a 5K, or do that pull-up you want by the end of the year. If you don’t practice a growth mindset consistently, you might find your thoughts drag you down rather than lift you up. Now, I’m not saying you can’t ever take time off, but if you’re constantly fluctuating in these areas, you won’t see the results you want.
Of all the things I teach my athletes, I try to stress to them that they need to JUST SHOW UP 3-4 days per week when they first start exercising (to be clear, I also teach them the importance of rest and recovery, but that’s another conversation for another day). Even if that means only coming in for 5 minutes to get on the rower or practice their jump rope skills, it’s better than nothing. After they develop that vital habit of attending consistently, then we can begin working to accomplish their goals!
Now that we’ve entered the new year (and new decade!), almost everyone is jumping on the resolution bandwagon. Many of those people are hitting the gym hard this week and next… but most will lose that fire quickly (some even before January ends!). But YOU will be different. Because you understand that showing up is the most important step. You know that life change doesn’t magically happen overnight; it’s the slow process of creating new, healthy habits that will lead to noticeable, long-term progress. The fitness industry is constantly trying to sell quick fixes and shortcuts to health — "6 Minutes to a 6-Pack!!!" — but the shortest path to real change is hard work and CONSISTENCY.
Remember this mantra…
PROGRESS > PERFECTION
I hope you thoroughly enjoyed the holidays, and feel refreshed and ready for all the adventures 2020 has to offer! Big things are coming soon here at CFD! Happy New Year!!
Spencer Smith
Owner & Head Coach
CrossFit Donelson